Broken filament counter



Jan. 23, 1945. J. L. MICHAELSON 2,367,953

) BROKEN FILAMENT COUNTER Filed Nov. 25, 1942 MICROSCOPE OBJ ECTIVE FROM SPINNERET H'l's AttoT-ney.

Patented Jan. 23, 194

Jesse L. Michaelson, Schenectady; N.'Y., assignor to GeneralElectric Company, a corporation of New York Application November as, 1942, Serial No. 466,589

4 Claims. (01. 73-160) My invention relates to apparatus for detecting broken filaments of a thread and particularly for counting such filaments. Itls the; object of my invention to provide improved apparatus by which broken filaments of. a thread may be detected or detected and counted while the thread is inrapid motion. My invention will be better'understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and its'scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the single figure of the drawing the thread i to be examined is movably supported on the small idler 2, being shown guided in its. movement toward and'from' the idler by the idler rolls, 3 and 4. The thread being examined is made up.

of many individual filaments which may be synthetically made and which in size may be of the order of one. one-thousandth of an inch in diameter. Broken filaments of a'thread are usually apparent becausethey stand out more or less from the body example at 5 in the drawing.- For detecting such projecting broken filaments I pass a light beam close to the rollsupporting the thread so as to be intercepted by them. As a light source I have shown the electric lamp 6, being preferably one having a concentrated filament. An optical system cooperating with said source comprises the condenser lens 1 which forms an image of the lamp filament on the condenser lens 8 and that lens in turn forms an image of the lens I in a plane represented by the dot-andrda'sh line 9 through which pa'ss'the broken filaments to be detected. The microscopepbjective I0 is arof the thread as shown 1'or,

by doing both. Moreover, other obvious means may be employed to assist in raising the ends of broken filaments such as by directing an air stream against the thread or by the use of an electrostatic field.

What I claim as new and desire to'secure by Letters Patentof the United States is: I v 1. Apparatus for. detecting-broken filaments of? a thread comprising means for. continuously moving the thread longitudinally, means for illuminating an area displaced-from. said thread through which area proiecting broken filaments of the thread pass in the movement thereof, means for producing magnified images of said filaments, a photoelectric device arranged to be controlled by'said images and an 'electro-responsive device controlled by said device.

. '2.'Appar;atu s for detecting broken filaments of a thread comprising. means foind'rawing the thread longitudinally, means! for causing broken filaments thereof to standout'from the body of the thread, meansprojecting a light beam adjacent to but spaced from thethread for producing magnified images of said filamenta'a photoelectric device arranged to be controlled by said images, and an electro-responsive device controlled by said device. v

3. Apparatus for detectingbrokenfilaments of a thread comprising means for supporting and moving the thread longitudinallmjmeans for applying a force laterally of said thread to cause said broken filaments to be deflected from the ranged to produce magnified images on the slit ll of the slit plate E2 of any such thread filaments which pass :s'aid plane. Arranged behind the slit to receive light passing'thereth'rough'isthe photoelectric device l3 whose output impulses, amplified by the amplifier ll, actuates the counter l5. Thus each time a broken filament inter cepts the light beam the light input tothe photoelectric device is momentarily-reduced causing the-counter to makea registration, hence one may thereby obtain an approximation of the number of broken filaments per unit length of thread.

Although broken filamentsnaturally stand out to a. certain extent from the body of the thread one may take advantage of centrifugal force to increase this efiect by moving the thread on the idler -at high speed or by making'the radius of curvature of the face or the idler very small or v nected body of the thread, means for producing an illuminated area displaced from the thread through which said broken filaments pass, means for producing a magnified image of each broken filament as it passes said area, a photoelectric device responsive to said images, and a counter connected to be controlled by the output'of said device.

4. Apparatus for detecting broken filaments or a thread comprising a supporting surface for said thread having a small radius of curvature, means for rapidly moving said thread on said surface whereby the ends of said broken filaments are deflected from the body of the thread, means for producing an illuminated area through which said deflected broken filaments pass, means for producing a magnified image of each broken filament as it passes said area. aphqtoelectric device responsive to said images, and a counter conto be controlled by the output or said device.

JESSE L. MICHAEL-SON. 

